Declutter your Yarn Stash this Autumn and Get Knitting!
Many of us start with great intentions at the beginning of the year to finish all our WIPs (works in progress) and fantasise about all the new projects we’ll tackle. We often like to think we’ll get some things made for gift giving - it may be you started projects with that intention this time last year, but find these projects have been abandoned and left languishing in various ‘stash-holes’ around the house. but its not too late to dust them down.
Keep reading for some great tips on how to get your yarn under control, some great ideas for gift knits, plus the chance to win a free copy of Elements: 24 handknits inspired by nature and the outdoors!
Now we are well into October and with November just around the corner it’s easy to feel we are running out of time as begin the downhill sprint towards Christmas (for those that celebrate it) and the end of the year. It’s easy to feel a little panicked and overwhelmed with everything you want and need to get done and it can feel like a mad scramble at times, but take heart and some deep breaths! Now is a great time for taking stock and planning what projects you need to finish or start before the end of the year, and there’s still time to finish the year on a high note with at least 1 finished project!
If you want to get some items made for some well deserving recipients instead of trapping the shops then here’s a few ideas for getting our knitting house in order, dusting off some UFOs (UnFinished Objects) and cracking open some of that gorgeous yarn you have hiding!
It’s a well known fact that too much clutter in our lives causes stress, and that clearing our homes of clutter can really enhance our sense of well-being. The same applies to your yarn stash, but as lover of yarn, we know just how emotionally invested we are with the stuff, so the notion of decluttering yarn can be quite a contentious issue - and you may decide that yarn stash is not something that needs to be addressed (until you can’t move around your house).
Not everyone needs to declutter, but just ask yourself the following questions: Has your yarn habit got you feeling out of control? Instead of feeling joy when you see the extent of your stash being you joy and warm fuzzy feelings? Or does it make you feel stressed, guilty, maybe a little ashamed even? If this applies to you you should definitely consider shedding some fibre! But even if you don’t want to actually get rid of any yarn, it’s a great idea to at least take a look at what you’ve actually got.
How you go about that is of course entirely up to you, but if you’re not sure where to start, you may want to try this 3 step approach, which borrows from the KonMari method by Marie Kondo. (if you’re not familiar with this check out her site here .
Step 1- Undertake a UFO Audit!
This means fessing up to yourself about the true extent of your cast-on-itis and the wake of abandoned projects you may have. Clear a (large) table and go ‘bring out yer dead’! Go to all of your little secret project & yarn stash hideyholes (yes I know you have them!) and gather all UFO’s - so anything already on the needles, and also the ‘projects’ you might have bought but not actually cast-on yet. Put these all onto your (now heaving) table so you can see them all in the clear light of day. Take a moment to take stock of these, and then sort them into 2 piles:
Pile 1 - Keepers: projects you really want to start/finish - there should be no ‘duty’ knits here - just what excites you and/or you really want to make for yourself or someone dear to you.
Pile 2 - Let it go: projects you’ve kind of gone off - yes it is absolutely ok to have gone off something, and to make the decision that, shock horror, you’re NOT going to finish these…..EVER! Ah, "but what about the waste of money/yarn/time?" etc I hear you say - Well, just frog them all (i.e. pull them all down) and rewind into nice tidy balls - now you have yarn you can use for something you really do want to knit! You may think this means your time has been wasted, but it’s more wasteful of your time and energy if it just sits there unfinished making you feel bad and cluttering up your ‘head’ and space. Be ruthless - and you may find it a liberating experience. If you have having difficulty with this, remind yourself why you knit - these days we are mostly doing it for our enjoyment rather than necessity, aren’t we? So why make ourselves ‘stick it out’ with projects we now feel ‘meh’ about?
Once you’ve dealt with this second pile, it’s a good idea to take another look at your ‘keepers’ pile, take a closer look at these and consider how they make you feel - do they all give you a sense of joy and excitement, or are they making you feel guilty, stressed, or any other negative feelings? If that’s the case then you need to sling them into the other pile and deal with them accordingly.
Put your ‘keeper’s to one side for the moment before deciding which of these you are going to get suck in with.
Step 2 - Yarn Audit
Repeat the above process, but this time with all the yarn stash you have, including the ‘frogged’ yarn from abandoned projects.
Again be ruthless here and only put yarns that you really love in the 'keepers' pile. Now put the 'let it go' yarns in a box to one side and deal with these later (but not too much later or you’ll fail to get them our of the house!) These you will dispose of by selling, giving to a friend, or donating.
Take a look at your ‘keeper’ pile and sort them now into groups according to the weight of the yarn - e.g. put all your 4 ply weight together, then dk, aran etc. This will help you see the range of yarns you have. Make sure of course that you group multiples of the same yarn and shade together too. Now make a list of these yarns including the quantity of each in metres or yards, not just weight. This will be important in working out what you can make with the amount of yarn you have.
Step 3 - Plan & Prioritise
Hoorah - that’s the hard bit done, and now we get to the fun bit! Once you’ve sorted through your stash you can plan what projects to do, and get to the bit we love - casting on! Once that initial flush of cast on excitement fades though, it can be difficult to keep at it, especially with so many other priorities at this busy time of year. To help keep you motivated it s a good idea to have a goal of what you want to finish and when, and joining a knitting challenge can help you stay on track.
A great challenge I’ve seen on Instagram is the #knit1000g before you buy any new yarn, for for more ambitious knitters , its Knit 1000g of yarn before 2017! This is a great challenge and one I intend to rise to, but before you can do that you need to plan and prioritise what project(s) you want to focus on.
Now you can see the wood for the trees ask yourself the following:
Which UFOs would I like to complete before then end of the year?
Which would I feel happy to put off until the New Year?
What other projects would I like to knit for others in time for christmas?
Be realistic here - if you are a very slow knitter (and it’s not a race!) you may only have 1 on your list! If you are knitting for Christmas, better to stick to quicker knits such as small accessories, or items knitted in chunkier weight yarns. It’s also a good idea to try to stick to just 1 project at a time, or at most 2 - 1 for easy tv knitting, and another one that takes a bit more concentration.
Make yourself a list, and gather these projects together, and put the rest of your UFO’s and yarn stash away - ideally all in the same place so you can better keep track of it from now on.
If you are not sure what you can knit with your stash yarns, take a look at ravelry.com - for those that aren’t aware of it, it’s a online community hub for yarn and fibre folk, and a yarn & pattern database for knitters and crocheters. You can search for patterns using a whole host of search criteria - which is great for stash busting as you can get an idea of what you can knit with the amount of yarn you have - for example if you have 450m of 4ply weight yarn, you can search for patterns that use that amount of that weight of yarn. You could even narrow that down further, for instance, to scarves or shawls that use that amount of yarn.
What makes a good gift knit?
Knits that are quick & relatively easy, don't use too much yarn, and look impressive! Accessories are an excellent choice, and hats, mittens/gloves, scarves, socks, small shawls/shawlettes, gloves and mitts all make great christmas gifts.
These mitts make an excellent choice and use 2 balls of standard dk, or just 1 ball of Rowan Felted Tweed, and what's more if you are signed up to my email list you have access to these for free!
*BOOK BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY*
It's hard to believe it but Elements, the knitting book I co-authored with Alison Crowther-Smith, was published a year ago this month! And to celebrate it's first birthday I'm be giving away 3 copies throughout October - 1 each on Instagram, Facebook and here on my blog. The Instagram giveaway has already been drawn, so here’s a second chance to win a copy!